Ok, today’s the last day of January, right? I apologize for the week between written posts but this week was busy, no doubt, and I have much to say as a result.

I suppose I should start with the religious studies class since I referenced it last in the previous post. I’ve always respected, I think, people returning to school after extended stretches away from academics. But my experience back in the classroom, on the other side of the desk, if you will, has renewed that respect. Ok, I know the professor, have nothing to prove, and I’m still nervous on the first night. And the introductions didn’t help, when the professor asked the students to share their favorite doctrines or parts of the Bible, and I have no idea how to respond. Luckily I had the St. Francis material on which to fall back or else I would have been screwed. And the other students were all immersed in their faith seemed to enjoy quoting the Bible. But after a few minutes in a circle in the awkward desks I relaxed. By the last hour the conversation on the balance between spiritual experiences in ritual and the desire to retain uniformity in liturgical structure was quite interesting. So I guess I’m going back tomorrow. I’ve even done my homework and probably read more in this book already than in two out of three of my grad programs combined. I have nothing to prove, so I might as well both take the course seriously and have some fun at the same time.

The hurricane of the semester’s first two weeks is over. I’m glad I over-prepared before the first day of class; as a result I wasn’t overwhelmed when the emergency meetings and proverbial fires emerged. My classes seem fine, and I don’t face a new prep for the first time in years, so I can’t complain.

What else happened the rest of the week? Hm. I played a lot of facebook scrabble and I think my game is slowly improving. Friday night I got very drunk. My legs were killing me and the gym was burning me out so I skipped Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, after picking T up from a middle school trivia night, I started drinking and didn’t stop until I found myself, at 1AM, licking the frozen Rolling Rock ice out of bottles I left on the unheated front porch and swaying in the middle of the living room to Lucero’s Tennessee. Yesterday, then I read (loving the Greene and feeling slightly resentful because of the class readings), watched tv, and baked with the boys. This morning I hit the gym with a vengeance, finished my homework, and pretty soon I’m going to mail some CDs before most likely turning off the computer for the night.

I’m loving the Lucero, by the way. Great band.

I don’t care what anyone says, the sun is shining brightly, the days are lasting longer, and winter won’t last forever. Tomorrow is February first, people. The end of the winter tunnel, while maybe not in sight, is within imagination.